But I'll Get Up Again
by lunafrak
Summary: An actress that feels that she is losing her youthful spark seems to rediscover joy in the presence of the Prince, Ansem the Wise. AnsemXOC; takes place 15 years before KH2
1. From Sophus to Ansem

Sitting on opposite ends of the long dining table, lunch had been served inside the castle of Radiant Garden. On one end, a prince watched his elder father's shaking hands cut into his food, smiling.

"So, Ansem," Trickled the King's voice, "Have you any plans for your coronation?" He asked, looking to his blond-haired son. The man at the other end of the table huffed a laugh.

"Like what? They're all usually the same, right?" He asked his father with a smile, "Trumpets, robes, speeches, grandeur..." He said, waving his fork around, rolling his golden-orange eyes. "When is it going to be anyway?" He asked without any interest.

"I don't know, Ansem. But I think we need a plan. I'm going on seventy next week, and you'll be Thirty-Three in December. I need to pass on the crown before I go and before you're too old."

"Dad." Ansem said seriously, "Grandpa Ruarc lived to be Eighty-Six, and his father lived well into his nineties-"

"Ninety-Eight, to be exact. Sadly... I don't have the same bill of health my forefathers' have had, and-"

"Dad." Ansem interrupted again, "Does this have to do with mom? I mean... This whole health-paranoia--_thing_ you seem to have caught?"

The elder king watched his son as he had fought to ask this question. Lowering his head, he sighed.

"Part of it, yes. My point is, Ansem... At my age, our time can come at any moment. When your mother passed last winter... It made me begin to think."

_"So I noticed."_ Ansem thought to himself dimly as he ate another bite of his meal.

"I just think it would be best if you began to take your royal duties more seriously."

"More seriously?" Ansem asked, almost offended. "I do everything that's needed of me, I complete every interview, oversee all of the new additions to the wall around the Kingdom, meet with the diplomats, aristocrats, and every other soul-sucker there is to shake hands with. It's a miracle I have any spare time."

"Is that why you come home at four in the morning anymore?"

Ansem looked up with an open mouth as he was about to take another bite of food. Closing his mouth, and eyes, in anger, he set his fork on his table with a sigh.

"Do you have a girlfriend I don't know about? If you do, I'd be delighted to meet her. She'd be an excellent addition to your cabinet; perhaps even more... It would be comforting to have both a king _and_ a queen at the start of the new era."

"No more about the coronation, dad." Ansem growled, balling his fists. "Please. Enough. You're still plenty healthy. Seventy isn't that old! I understand you're nervous about it because of what happened to mom... But she was almost six years older than you!"

"So, no girlfriend?" Ansem's father asked, wringing a smirk out of his aged lips.

"_It would be none of your business if I did." _Ansem thought to himself in frustration, trying to keep his face from going red.

"Then what are you doing at night? I hope it's nothing to shame our family."

"I'm smarter than that, dad. And you know it." Ansem growled, finally getting another bite of food as his father did the same, laughing.

"Ahh... Yes. My son. Ansem the Wise." He chuckled. Next to the King, a young maid appeared with a letter in hand.

"My Lord Sophus, Another offer from the jewelers."

"Jewelers?" Ansem asked with a mixture of curiosity to his father, who smiled nervously.

"For your crown."

"...What?"

"It's coronation stuff." Sophus grinned. Ansem stared at his father in disbelief, then rolled his flame-colored eyes and groaned.

"It seems my future is written in stone."

_**XXXX**_

_**This story is going to be a touchy one ^^ Much of it may need to wait until the next KH installments come out, mainly Birth by Sleep. Buuuuut, I wanted to get this up 'cause it's been gathering dust. There was more to this chapter, such as the introduction of some OC's, but I thought that the conversation between Ansem and his pop would be a nice set-up in itself.**_

_**Kingdom Hearts and Ansem the Wise (C) Square Enix/Disney**_

_**Sophus (C) me**_

_**... I hope Ansem T.W. will be in BBS. *SQUEE***_


	2. A Night Out

_Chapter 2!! A lot of the first part was intended to be in the first chapter, but I decided to wait and introduce the main female of the story in this chapter._

_Warning; this chapter contains a heaping helping of OC's. Ansem (the wise) appears about halfway through the chapter._

_**XXXX**_

Another performance booked on Friday? It was too much.

Looking to her schedule, the young actress sighed, swinging her duffel bag across her shoulder as she glanced down the page of her schedule for the next two weeks. She groaned as yet another one of her usually free days had been chalked up for her to perform at the theater.

At least she had the next two days off, for now a six-day-stretch loomed over her head as she turned away and out of the dressing room.

"Nadette!"

The actress turned her head to find two other young ladies, Chimi and Kikiri, rushing her way. The sisters were decked out in their dresses, waiting to go on stage in a couple of hours.

"Are you working tonight? Our parents are in town for the week and we know they'd love your performances!" Kikiri beamed at Nadette, who tried to make herself look interested as Chimi nodded her head.

"Nope... Sorry. I already opened the morning shows, and I'm off for the next two days." She said, trying to sound interested in work.

"Aw. You always have such interesting acts. They're so nostalgic!" Nadette smiled happily.

"I can't stand some of the stuff that some other girls perform out here. I like to give a show that has a meaning other than flashing my butt and cleavage at everyone with eyeballs." She said softly, laughing with the girls. "I guess I'm a little old-fashioned myself. More old than fashioned." She laughed.

"You're not old! You're what? Thirty? Thirty-two?"

Nadette's smile remained, but her muscles cramped in forcing it now.

"I'm Twenty-Nine."

"...O-Oh... Sorry!" Kikiri gasped, her face flushing red. Chimi rolled her eyes at her sister as she looked completely embarrassed, "I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it. It's alright." Nadette said, her heart heavy with depression, but still, she continued to smile. A shrill ring from a bell cut through their conversation and the two girls quickened their pace.

"Uh-oh, that's the cue!"

"Well, I'd best leave you be so you can get ready." Nadette said, watching the girls bend over to grab the hems of their large dresses, no doubt so they could run quicker to the backstage.

"Yeah, we gotta go!" Kikiri said, still looking nervous from her accidental insult.

"See ya, Nadette!" Chimi said quickly, not wasting another word. The sisters rushed, the heels of their shoes beating upon the floor loudly as guests could be heard out in the foyer.

Nadette watched them for a second more until she finally made her way out. She walked tenderly as her feet were sore after six hours in stilettos. Luckily, over the seven years of working at the theater she'd learned to start bringing an extra pair of sneakers to work.

Walking out of the back door of the theatre, Nadette could see the line of citizens growing as they prepared for an evening of enjoyment, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Nadette smiled, knowing she had the rest of the day to enjoy to herself. Looking up to the pale, orange sky, she sighed and knew her first place of rest: Home.

_**XXXX**_

Opening the door of her cottage, Nadette breathed in the familiar aroma of her abode. She flopped her purse to the corner of the sofa and thumped into her kitchen. She wasn't hungry, but she could never think of a better way to celebrate the end of a work day without something to munch on.

Out of reflex, she punched the power button the television as she walked past it into the kitchen. She had no idea what channel she'd left it on earlier, but she let it play for a few moments.

As the sound of an afternoon Soap Opera drabbled through the house, Nadette checked her schedule that hung from the kitchen wall.

She smiled. Tonight she was going to a party with her cousin Makerlis, who was the only relative Nadette had that lived within Radiant Garden's main Kingdom. The two had become close over the years after Nadette moved into the vicinity nearly eight years ago. Makerlis was immediately at her side. He took cood care of his younger cousin, being five years older than her. He had decent income and was able to keep not only her afloat, but himself until Nadette landed a steady job at the theater and was able to afford her small home.

Nadette then sighed, and remembered that it was possible that he wouldn't be able to come. And it was because of his well-paying career that caused doubt to plague Nadette. She mumbled to herself and then opened her refridgerator, yanking out a snack in the form of a pudding cup as she swung open a drawer and snagged a spoon.

Makerlis had worked in Radiant Garden's castle for nearly ten years, and three years ago, he'd been promoted to the position of being Prince Ansem's personal assistant. He'd always been able to come when they had an outing planned. However, since the death of Queen Freyja just the previous winter, his schedule became even more tedious since Prince Ansem had to take over many royal duties, especially now since his father was getting older.

Nadette had suggested that he quit the job, but Makerlis insisted that he stayed. He and the Prince had become good friends over the years he'd been serving and he knew that he'd only cause more chaos for his friend and the King if he quit, which would cause Ansem to have to get a new assistant. So for the past couple of months, he and Nadette had been making schedules to go to nighttime gatherings, such as parties with friends from school and work.

But it wasn't all bad. Nadette found that the nightlife, while frightening at first, was pretty fun when you were with the right people. Makerlis was always protective of his younger cousin while they were perusing the town, and lately he had been bringing a friend from his work who'd become a regular in their chain of buddies who knew every back alley, every street, every twixt and turn in the city as if he'd studied them all his life; and he had become one of their most valuable tag-alongs on their romps as he would advise his friends on which clubs were safe and which were the ones to avoid.

Also, on the plus side, he was handsome to boot.

Jubal was his name. Quiet, reserved; he rarely talked about himself or his life. Instead, he'd often listen to Nadette or Makerlis or one of their many friends that would join them on their outings. It made Nadette kind of uncomfortable when she'd have to talk about her boring job in front of this man that usually had girls crawling all over him. She knew he didn't mind if she talked his ear off, but that made her feel awkward, since she didn't _have_ a lot to talk about.

Flopping onto the couch with a pudding cup she pouted.

"I'm so friggin boring it's disgusting." She croaked, peeling the flimsy lid off of the pudding cup and licking it clean before digging in. She wanted so bad to just talk Jubal's ear off confidently about the things she liked, about how hard it was to keep her curly hair under control-

Or how much she liked it when he'd silently smile at her. That smile that would cause her to lost track in mid-sentence. She sighed in bliss as she half-watched the unraveling soap opera on the television as Jonatha professed her unrequited love for Dr. Shumer as his wife continued to deteriorate in her comatose state.

_**XXXX**_

As much as Nadette loved wearing high-heels, she figured that after five days in stilettos she deserved a night in simple flats.

She wore a clean-blue, shoulder baring sweater and black slacks. After fighting with herself for over an hour, she decided on this sleek look.

She peered at the numerous articles of clothing that were strewn across her bed. All of them colorful and fun, but this was the only one that made her feel relaxed.

She'd received a call from Makerlis just hours ago, as he gave the heads-up that he was able to attend with several friends. Nadette would occasionally squeal as she thought about seeing Jubal again. As she looked in the mirror, she would imagine him behind her; with his dark hair shining in the dying sunlight that leaked through the blinds. or his deep voice telling her just how lovely she looked. She would roll her eyes every now and then at the silly daydreams that popped into her imagination, even if they made her fingers tingle and caused her face to blush.

Looking at the time, Nadette hurried as she smoothed out her clothes. She then retreated to her vanity and sat down as she added the finishing touches to her ensemble. Maybe if she was lucky, Jubal might notice just how hard she worked on making herself look nice.

"Hello! Ring-a-ding-ding!"

Recognizing the familiar voice of Makerlis walking into the house as the door cracked open, Nadette smiled.

"I'll be right there!" She called as she heard him approaching. She secured a silver chain around her neck from which a velvet-red bauble was dangling. Turning, she saw Makerlis' dusty-brown hair and happy, thin-lipped smile.

"I've got the car parked out front, I'm driving."

"Good!" Nadette sighed, turning to her cousin with a grin, "I'm exhausted."

"So I heard. Maybe you shouldn't do performances that require corsets and six-inch heels anymore." The young man said, leaning against the doorway. Nadette looked back, smirking.

"At least I'm wearing something."

"And that's why no one sticks around to watch your shows." Makerlis retorted playfully. Nadette just laughed, unfazed.

"Like I care. I'm not changing my forte. Besides, I don't think anyone wants to see my goods more than I already show them." Chuckled Nadette as she stood up from her vanity and brushed back a strand of her curly hair.

"Come off it." Makerlis said, rolling his eyes, "So you're Twenty-Nine. Big deal!"

"I'll be Thirty in two months!" Nadette hissed, quickly snagging her purse off of her cluttered nightstand and walking past her cousin.

"Oh, noooo! On midnight of August 28th, Nadette Emine Chilikov will stun the world as she shrivels up in a disgraceful heap of wrinkles and _liver spots_!" Nadette stared at her cousin, pursing her lips as he walked past her, grinning. "It's not that bad." He said, "I should know. You know what I did on my thirtieth?" He asked, forking a thumb at his chest as they exited the house and Nadette locked her front door.

"What did you do?" She asked, almost not wanting to know. Makerlis fished his car keys out of his leather coat and grinned back up at her.

"I went home from work and drank a beer." He said as-a-matter-of-factly. Nadette just rolled her eyes.

"Great. I'm going to become boring. That's even worse." She said, approaching her cousin's car full of buddies. As she approached the front passenger seat, she tried to get a good look inside to spot her special someone. As she opened the door, she only noted two others; and neither of them Jubal.

"Hey girl!" shouted her friend, Tin-Tin, from the back seat. Nadette had to pry her eyes off of the woman with a straight face as she realized she was wearing bright orange lipstick.

Immediately, Tin-Tin's fiancee, Maulto, leaned over to Nadette, his perfectly groomed sideburns zigzagging across his chin. It was obvious he could tell that Nadette had noticed the unusual color of her lips.

"Please, give her another shade to wear, I'm going to go blind."

"Maulto, shut up!" Tin-Tin griped, slapping the man's shoulder, "You think what I'm wearing is bad?! You're wearing the same Polo shirt you slept it last night!"

"Hey, it's clean!"

"Then what's so wrong about my makeup?!" Tin-Tin pouted. Maulto motioned to Nadette for a mirror, which she provided, and he forced his fiancée to look at her reflection.

"You look like you frenched a pumpkin!" Nadette laughed at Tin-Tin looked at her reflection in the poorly-lit car.

"Thank you." Piped Makerlis up front as he held up his hand. Nadette secured her seat belt and laughed. Tin-Tin rolled her eyes and handed the mirror back to its owner.

"Fine. Nadette?"

"Sorry. I'm fresh out of supplies. They're all at work, or in the house, and I'm _not_ walking all the way back."

Tin-Tin leaned over to her fiancé, who looked reluctant to be seen in public with his future wife and her jack-o-lantern lips. Tin-Tin thought quickly however, and gave him a smile, "You could just kiss it off, sweetheart." She purred. Maulto looked at her pucker up her big, orange lips. He grimaced at the sight as first, but he smiled as the effects were wearing off.

"All right, baby. But you owe me." He said, as he began to kiss Tin-Tin.

Nadette shook her head as Makerlis drove away from the house. Nadette looked at her cousin and fidgeted with her purse strap. Their group was awful small this week, but that wasn't unusual. After all, sometimes it would just be her and Makerlis, or even someone besides him.

But she wanted to see _him_. She wanted to see Jubal.

"So... Jubal couldn't make it?" She asked. Makerlis looked at her as he fished a cigarette out of his shirt pocket.

"Huh? Oh, actually, he's planning on coming in the next couple of hours. He got busy at work. I'm actually gonna go pick him up. He said he'd call around Eight-Thirty. You don't mind if I leave to go get him, do ya?" He asked, lighting the cigarette while holding the wheel with one hand. Nadette shook her head.

"No, of course not!" She said, smiling.

Makerlis smiled too.

"_'No, of course not.'_" He said, releasing a puff of smoke, "I knew you'd say that."

Blushing, Nadette became obviously flustered, something Makerlis was a professional at doing.

"Wh- What about it?!" She demanded.

"What about what?" Came Tin-Tin's voice as Maulto pouted and said 'baby, I'm not done yet'.

"Na~dette's got a cru~ush!" Makerlis sang, swaying his head.

"On who?" Tin-Tin demanded to know.

Nadette fumed at them both, "Even if I did, that's none of your business!"

"Nadette and Jubal, sittin' in a tree!" Makerlis sang, exhaling cigarette smoke as he did.

"Jubal?" Tin-Tin screeched, "That quiet guy? What for? He's as dull as my grandmother's cataracts." She said before finally paying some much-needed (or more or less, wanted) attention to Maulto.

"I just... Like how down-to-earth he is."

"Which means he's boring!" Tin-Tin said, once again releasing her lips from her fiance's to give her two-cents, "I remember the first time I saw Maulto," She said, giving her lover a grin, "We were both at this club and, man, baby. You could dance!" She said as Maulto gave a mock guffaw to the sky; and then Tin-Tin pouted, "And now you don't dance at all."

"'Cause I'm outta shape, toots, you won't stop cooking long enough for me to get outta the house and exercise!" He griped, patting his waistline, which was once thin and lean but was now showing a slight bulge across his waistline. Nadette smiled at them, hoping to change the subject off of her pining for Jubal.

"So, you guys have been engaged for..?"

"Six months. We've been dating for two years, we've been living together for a year, though." Tin-Tin said, snuggling up with Maulto, "So, are the foul remains of my mistake gone, oh love-of-my-life?" She asked, puckering her lips to show that they were no longer orange. Maulto smiled, giving her one more kiss.

"Yup." He said, "My work is done."

"And what fine work, you do, baby-boo."

Makerlis chuckled at the two as they kissed again in the backseat while Nadette giggled. She had a fondness for the pet names that her two friends used on each other.

"I don't know why you two come, you never do anything but lock your lips together and cocoon yourselves for the entire night."

"Change of environment." Maulto said rather quickly, before submitting to more kisses.

Makerlis puffed one more cloud of smoke before extinguishing his cigarette in the small ash-tray compartment. Nadette glowered at him.

"I wish you'd quit that." She nagged. Makerlis looked at her and grinned, showing his yellowing teeth. Nadette curled her lip, "That's so gross!" She bellowed as her cousin laughed.

"I've been doin' it for years."

"It scares me." Nadette said seriously, "It makes people sick."

"You're such a goody-goody." Makerlis said, shaking his head. Nadette's face appeared to have turned to stone.

"I really don't care. What does your boss say about it?"

"Ansem? Come on. He doesn't care. He's got too many things on his mind to care about my nasty habits."

As Makerlis continued to drive, Nadette decided to quit the argument. She felt her face go hot as she was embarrassed. As much as she wanted her cousin to quit smoking, she couldn't force him to do so.

Looking out to the lights of the approaching town, Nadette sighed to herself.

'One day I'm gonna grow a backbone.'

_**XXXX**_

"Hurry, hurry." muttered the blond prince to himself. He hefted the stack of folders through the spacious, ornate hallway towards his father's office.

He felt his sight losing focus. He'd been up since six in the morning and, surely enough, now at seven in the evening, he was feeling the effects of having gotten only five hours of sleep.

He stopped at the large door, gabbing one of the handles, which was easily the size of his head. With the click of a button, he pulled it open, and a creak from the oversized hinges alerted the man inside of his entry.

King Sophus slowly turned from the window at the other end of the room. His room was dimly lit, but seemed to glow for the lights of the nighttime city of which he guided.

"Ahh, I see you've retrieved the propositions for next month's meetings?"

Ansem paused for a moment and sighed.

"Yes." He said softly.

Sophus cocked one of his thinning eyebrows as he noticed his son's expression, "And?" He asked, as though urging his son to continue.

Ansem took a breath.

"Father. You know... That I have other interests than simply ruling."

Sophus rolled his eyes in great exasperation, "Ansem... No. Not now."

"Please! Father, please, just listen."

"A prince is a prince, a king is a king. You will one day pass from prince to king, but Ansem, a scentist is a very different thing from them both! Kings are not scientists!"

"I want to do this, father! I did exactly what you dared me to do, and I wrote up everything that I've ever researched in my spare time, my interests... Even my hopes to raise a facility; father, I can do it!"

"How do you know?" Sophus said, his eyes hardening. Ansem's eyes did the very same.

"Because, knowledge is key in life."

"You leave knowledge to the scientists who are trained to research, Ansem. You are a prince."

"And as a prince and future king, I have total responsibility for knowing what goes on in my kingdom!"

"But this kingdom is not yours yet. Ansem, as long as you are the prince, you will continue your duties as you have been."

"Funny. This coming from the man that's getting me to think ahead."

"Ansem, this discussion-"

"Will NOT WAIT." Ansem finished. Sophus stared at his son, wide-eyed.

"Father. Your highness. You've always known that science, and it's not just science, it's _knowledge_, the pursuit of knowledge, research, answers; _that_ is what I've always been best at." Ansem looked at his father imploringly, trying to make his statement, "You and mom provided me with the tools, the essentials, when I was little."

Sophus stared at his son.

"Really?"

"Yes. On my sixth birthday. You both bought me that book."

Sophus turned his head slightly as he gave into dim realization.

"... A pop-up book? That's what started this mess?"

"The one with the nursery rhymes." Ansem said, giving a laugh, "Man, I hated those things."

"Your nose never left the pages."

"I wasn't reading it. In fact, I was rather embarrassed to be seen with it. What caught me, what perplexed me was, well," Ansem's face went red, "The pop-up part."

Ansem looked at his father, who was looking to his son as if he didn't know him anymore.

"From the moment I opened that book to every second I spent turning a page, I only knew one thing, and that was the fact that I needed to know how it worked."

"And then you lost it. You cried all night to your mother that you'd left it somewhere and misplaced it, and we never saw it again." Sophus said rather triumphantly. Ansem's face got even redder.

"Actually, I hid it, because in my desperation to know how it worked, I kind of... tore the thing apart. So I made up that story so I wouldn't get in trouble."

Sophus radiated perplexity as Ansem continued.

"And in my desperation, I also wanted to know how other things worked. Eventually, the need to understand how those mechanics worked sparked my interest in much more. Over time, I began to read books on our own modern mechanics, and then even biology, chemistry; I was so fascinated, and I always have been."

Ansem walked to his father and set the stack of folders on the mahogany desk with the greatest respect towards the king. The top folder was sealed in a different envelope than the rest and was bare of any information, save the seal of the royal family. Ansem put his hand on this package and looked to his father with burning, ember eyes.

"All I ask of you, father, is to do what you asked of me. You told me to prove to you that I could not only handle a role of scientist along with my future title as king, but that I could prove to be a _good_ scientist. And I promise you," He said, his eyes still radiating confidence, "You won't be disappointed."

"Really?"

"They don't call me Ansem the Wise for nothing, father."

Sophus scowled, as he now regretted ever calling his son by that name.

"Ansem. I know I pushed you to do what your heart wanted, but... This is no longer about you, son. Our paths are set."

Ansem balled his fists, "You promised me that you would look at this if I got it to you!" He said as he addressed the folder he'd presented. Sophus raised a hand to halt his son.

"And so I did. And so, I shall stay true to my word." He said, gaining a smile from Ansem, "However." He said sternly, holding up his index finger, "However, do understand, that the folders that are below it are going to be read first."

Ansem's heart plummeted as his father continued, "As prince and future king, you know as well as I that our wants come after the kingdom. The citizens come first. So, due to my responsibilities, I am required to save yours for last."

Sophus looked at his son, who's eyes could have resembled broken glass as they remained fixated on the older king.

"I know it is what you want, but Ansem, as royalty, what we want is not what we are allowed to have. While we live in luxury, our futures are not ours to have. Instead, our futures live to improve _their_ futures." Sophus gestured to the shimmering city behind him. "No matter your intentions, Ansem. Your duties as a prince, and in the future, as a king, will always come first."

Ansem did his best to not grind his teeth as Sophus turned back to him.

"Are we clear, Ansem?"

As he hoped that the dim light wasn't reflecting the tears in his eyes, Ansem mentally cleared his throat and answered.

"Yes, sir."

Sophus looked at him for a moment more, then lowered his eyes for a second to look at the envelope, then they looked back to the identical eyes of his son.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Your duties for today have all been finished and you may do as you please. I shall see you in the morning."

Sophus turned away, despite the fact that he knew his gesture wouldn't be welcome by his son, he just didn't want to see it in Ansem's face that the dreams of a soon-to-be-king had been shattered before he'd even inherited the crown.

Sophus sighed mentally. His son had to know that his top priority would always be the kingdom, and not his hobby.

Ansem remained in place for a short moment as he stared at his father's thin back. His tears close to spilling over. His hands were shaking next to his sides as he fought to keep his quivering lower lip still.

"Very... Very well... Sir. I will see... I w-will see you tomorrow." He said, chastising himself internally for faltering as he spoke. Sophus gave no answer as Ansem slightly bowed, and before he could take another glance as his father, the prince turned to leave the room.

As the door closed, Sophus put an aged hand to his face and sighed. As much as he wanted his son to be happy, quite frankly, there was no time for happiness.

"Freyja, I'm afraid we spoiled our son." He said, turning around to look at a picture of a blond-haired, brown-eyed woman that rested on his desk, "I know his intentions are good, but how can I know that if I give him license to study and raise a lab that he'll be successful? What would you say right now?" He asked. Sophus closed his eyes and imagined his beloved wife. As he touched the worn, cool wedding band on his left ring finger, he heard a shrill, but feminine voice saying: "Look at the envelope, silly!"

_**XXXX**_

Ansem breathed hard as he made a quick getaway to his chambers. He walked quickly, daring any maid or servant to bid a request from their red-faced prince, or to ask if he was well.

As he turned a corner that led to his room, he walked faster and finally, he reached for the handle on his door and retreated into the sanctuary of his bedroom and slammed his door shut.

He stood for a second, his back to the door as he continued to huff. He looked to his right and found something to prey upon. He snagged a small, wooden box of rings off of a stand and hurled it against his wall, shattering the container into a mass of splinters as rings jingled to the floor.

He watched the glittering gemstones of the jewelry shimmer innocently and he finally let out a frustrated scream as he sat down, his back still to the door. Burying his face in his hands, he did his best to contain himself, but the more he did, the more he could hear his mother's voice.

"_Never hold in your anguish. If something pains you, the quickest medicine is to find a release. Ansem, dear, never be too brave to cry."_

She'd said that when his grandfather, Ruarc, died. He was fourteen, and the elderly man was always so impressed and proud of Ansem's tinkering with knowledge. When he died, Ansem felt as though there was no reason to keep studying, no matter how much he loved it. When Queen Freyja saw her son in such agony, she told him those words, and immediately, tears poured from Ansem's eyes as his mother held him close, not once hushing him.

And now, Eighteen years later since he'd heard his mother's advice, and nearly six months since he'd heard her voice, Ansem hadn't realized that tears were falling from his cheeks at that very moment. He buried his face in his arms, letting his frustrations out. The pain of losing his mother combined with the sting of his lost freedom, and now his banished pastime of science and research; and he cried as he wished to rid himself of the bitterness it was all causing him.

No doubt he wanted to be king, it ran through his body. His blood was fused with the need and want to make Radiant Garden shine, but Ansem knew that he could still do so if only he were permitted license to study.

As he cried, he felt diminished. His father would most likely scowl to see the crown prince curled up on his floor, sobbing; but the memory of his mother's soothing advice was helping to ease the pain of his frustration. He felt sick, and this was the only way he knew to rid himself of his pain.

He ran his fingers through his sunshine-blond hair, roughly, as several strands would end up getting caught in his dragging fingernails. He would put his hands to his forehead as he gritted his teeth and sharply inhaled, only to release another bevy of sobs.

Within a half an hour, he'd begun to lose interest in crying as his body began to calm down and grow weary. He ran his fingers across his eyelashes to rid himself of the lingering tears. As he raised his head to the ceiling, his breath shuddering and hiccupping, he could feel the remnants of his tears as they'd slid down his neck and he rubbed their traces away. He took a deep breath and sighed, as though expelling his pain in that breath, and he fought to stand. His stomach wasn't churning, nor did his heart feel as though it would catch fire. Instead, they felt soothed and extinguished.

Ansem walked to his mirror and saw that his eyes and nose were horribly swollen and red. He rubbed his face and groaned, now feeling lethargic. Looking down at the dresser, he spotted his cell phone. He stared at it intently and took another deep breath as he grabbed the device and pressed a button, and he listened to the chiming sounds of it ringing.

_**XXXX**_

Nadette sat with Makerlis as they watched Tin-Tin try to slip Maulto back into his dancing shoes. They laughed as the now-chunky man was trying to dance with his slender fiance with no confidence, but Tin-Tin just reassured Maulto and held him tight as they danced.

From back in the booth, Nadette and Makerlis jumped as a phone began to ring obnoxiously. Makerlis fished his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the name on the caller ID.

_Ansem_

His eyes widened and he looked at Nadette.

"I'll be right back." He said. Nadette nodded and went back to watching her friends on the dance floor.

Makerlis slid out of the booth and hurried to the foyer, where he flipped his phone open and answered.

"Hello?"

"Makerlis." Croaked the voice of Prince Ansem.

"Ansem? You sound rough."

"Yeah." The prince gave a laugh before responding, "Would you still mind picking me up? I could really use a getaway right now." He said as Makerlis heard him heave a sigh.

"Yeah, sure. I was wondering if you were gonna call. But yeah, I'll come get you right now."

"Thanks." Ansem said graciously, and they hung up. Makerlis sighed as he hurried back to his cousin and jingled his keys.

"Hey, I'll be back!" He said, watching Nadette's eyes widen. She blushed, but still asked:

"Where you going?"

Makerlis grinned.

"I'm going to fetch yer loverboy!"

Nadette blushed and pursed her lips in embarrassment and anger.

"Will you stop it?!"

_**XXXX**_

_**Ansem the Wise is (C) Square Enix/Disney**_

_**Nadette, Kikiri, Chimi, Makerlis, Tin-Tin, Maulto, Sophus, Freyja (C) me**_

_**Strangely enough, Jubal is a name that I thought off of the top of my head, yet the spell check doesn't identify it. I looked in my thesaurus to see if it was something real, but I didn't see anything. Weird. **_


End file.
